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Purdue DT great Dave Butz passes away

On3 imageby:Tom Dienhart•11/04/22•

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Dave Butz (Getty Images)

Former Purdue defensive tackle Dave Butz has passed away, according to a social media post by the Washington Commanders. He was 72.

The mammoth Butz (6-8, 300 pounds) cast a big shadow, coming to prominence at Purdue where he played from 1969-72 after arriving from Maine South High in Park Ridge, Ill., in one of Jack Mollenkopf’s last recruiting classes.

Butz was a consensus All-American in 1972 as a senior, when he also was a finalist for the Lombardi Award. He was first-team All-Big Ten in 1972 and a second-team choice in 1971. Butz was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Butz was a No. 5 overall pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1973 NFL draft, joining Otis Armstrong (No. 9) and Darryl Stingley (No. 19) as Boilermakers selected in the first round that year. All three are now deceased. Armstrong died in October 2021, while Stingley passed away in April 2007.

Butz went on to fame with Washington, where he played from 1975-88. He won two Super Bowls (17 and 22) with Washington and was elected into the team’s Ring of Fame, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 1983. Butz also was selected to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, making 35.5 sacks in his pro career.

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